Superman, Thy Name Is Jim

In a recent post, I mentioned that there’s a new Superman reboot in the works, overseen by Christopher Nolan (‘The Dark Knight’, ‘Inception’) and directed by Zack Snyder (‘300’, ‘Watchmen’). While this definitely counts as a dream team, especially considering Mr. Nolan’s success in reinvigorating the Caped Crusader (that’s Batman for the non-fans out there), speculation has already begun regarding the most important factor of all: Who will (or can) play Superman?

According to Comingsoon.Net, actor Arnie Hammer (‘The Social Network’), who has apparently “made a lot of people’s Superman fantasy-casting lists”, reports that the studio may be seeking a more mature (35-40) actor for the role. As the interviewer notes, this could be taken as a sign of hope that Jon Hamm (‘Mad Men’, pictured below) could be up for the part.

While I think I could buy Mr. Hamm as Superman, I am not quite convinced he could pull off a Clark Kent. This is an important factor when casting the Man of Steel, because it means that the actor needs to be able to alternate between the almighty king of the superheroes and a clueless geek at the drop of a hat, as Christopher Reeve accomplished with ease in the classic ‘Superman’ films decades ago. Actors who could fill Mr. Reeve’s shoes aren’t too common in Hollywood either, as was made painfully obvious in Bryan Singer’s watchable entry ‘Superman Returns.’

I could dance around the subject, but instead I’ll just say it: Jim Caviezel should play Superman.

Best known for ‘The Passion of the Christ’ and ‘The Count of Monte Cristo,’ and recently starring in the independent sci-fi adventure film ‘Outlander’ and AMC’s mini-series ‘The Prisoner’ alongside Sir Ian Mckellen, Caviezel has appeared in just about every genre. His portrayal of Christ in ‘The Passion’ and Edmond Dantes in ‘Monte Cristo’ are of particular interest. As Dantes, Caviezel takes audiences on a whirlwind adventure of love and betrayal, and his strength of character carries the whole plot (along with an exceptionally despicable villain in co-star Guy Pearce). As for ‘The Passion,’ Caviezel’s casting was perhaps the most important factor in the success of the film, more so even than Gibson’s directing, and that strength of character will be a necessity if Nolan and Snyder want to be successful in reintroducing the "Last Son of Krypton" to a modern audience.

Now that’s a Superman. Sure, he might not have Jon Hamm’s chin, but neither did Brandon Routh (who wasn’t a great Superman by any means, but few could doubt Mr. Caviezel would have been a superior choice).

As for playing Clark Kent, Caviezel has such a traditional outlook on life that you’d think he’d been born in Smallville himself. Superman needs humility to complement his power, and Caviezel is as humble as they come. His ability to alternate between meek and powerful as an actor was made evident in 'Monte Cristo', which also showed us he can rock a cape in his role as the Count. In his personal life he’s an outspoken Catholic, and there’s more than a little Christology in the original Superman films for him to develop, which I’m sure he could accomplish beautifully.

And just imagine his future resume: “Have played both Superman and Jesus.” What more could an actor wish for?

UPDATE: It looks like Snyder and company will be pursuing an unknown actor for the role. So in that case... Caviezel for Jor-El!!

Up In The Sky!

In the wake of the unexpected phenomenon that was Christopher Nolan’s ‘The Dark Knight,’ it would seem that the bigwigs at DC Comics are trying to seize an opportunity to match the sudden rise of Marvel Studios, currently raking in a considerable profit from ‘Iron Man 2’ DVD sales, with no fewer than three expected blockbusters- ‘Thor,’ ‘The First Avenger: Captain America,’ and the highly anticipated ‘The Avengers’- forthcoming.

While the writers at DC haven’t the luxury of their own film studio, next year will see the release of ‘Green Lantern,’ starring the action hero/funny-man Ryan Reynolds, and based on the fan-favorite hero of the same name. As with Marvel’s upcoming ‘Thor’, ‘Green Lantern’ is new to the big screen, leaving him plenty of space to thrill audiences with only a passing familiarity with the source material. And as we all learned from ‘Iron Man,’ a little originality can go a long way at the box office.

Of course, originality isn’t always such a good thing, especially when you’re dealing with, say, a character who has been around for over 70 years and whose storyline is familiar to most Americans born after 1938.

We’re talking, of course, about Superman, soon to return to theaters courtesy of producer/general overseer Christopher Nolan and director Zack Snyder (‘300'). Considering that Nolan and Snyder are respectively responsible for two of the most successful conservative films in recent memory (referring to ‘300’ and ‘Dark Knight,’ of course), news that they’d be working together on any project would be enough to thrill the countless blacklisted Hollywood conservatives, not to mention the legions of conservative audience members currently starving for an ounce of sanity from American filmmakers. But a SUPERMAN film, of all things?

Be still my comic-loving heart.

Now, is there still a chance they’ll screw it all up? Of course. With a character as near and dear to America’s heart as Supes, that chance is multiplied tenfold. But besides the challenge of locating a suitable actor, finding the right balance and style for the visual effects, and the innumerable technological difficulties presented by a film as large in scope as the newest addition to the Superman franchise is sure to be, let’s just hope the filmmakers don’t forget about Superman himself. The story may provide the bricks, but the characters bring the mortar.

Correctly identifying Batman’s unshakable reliance on Moral Law and sheer willpower was one of Christopher Nolan’s most important achievements in ‘Batman Begins,’ one that was only magnified in ‘The Dark Knight.’ Removing or diminishing this feature of Batman’s personality would remove the foundation upon which the new Batman franchise was built. In Superman’s case, the most important character trait that Snyder and Nolan must remember is Superman’s unshakable virtue. Like it or not, the king of the superhero genre is still just an old-fashioned Kansas boy, a Boy Scout who, despite all his godlike power, wouldn’t hurt a fly, unless this particular fly posed a danger to the Earth. Or maybe just Lois Lane.

Anyhow, here’s to you, Mr. Snyder, in the hopes that you can find it in your gory, Spartan heart to give audiences, especially children, the Superman they deserve, a Man of Steel who still fights for Truth, Justice, and the American Way.

You know what they say: You don't tug on Superman's cape.